MORRILL, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Panhandle couple who authorities say lived in a filthy house with their five children have been arrested on suspicion of child abuse.

55-year-old Jerry Farr and 34-year-old Nicole Farr, of rural Morrill, were arrested Sunday night. Online records say both remained in custody Monday. Court records don’t yet list the case or the names of attorneys who could be contacted to comment on behalf of the Farrs.

Authorities say a relative called to share her concerns about the children, who she said hadn’t been in school for three weeks.

Court documents say deputies who went to check on the children’s welfare found a filthy house with pieces of rotten food on the floor and cat vomit and feces in various places.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A formal ceremony has been scheduled to mark the naming of the Chadron post office after a soldier killed in Iraq more than 11 years ago.

Friday’s ceremony honors Sgt. Cory Mracek, of Hay Springs, who died in January 2004 while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed by a roadside bomb west of Baghdad. His mother, Pat, worked at the post office at the time of his death.

Cory Mracek was born in Chadron and graduated from Hay Springs High School.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A July trial has been scheduled for a 22-year-old Mitchell man accused in the crash death of a Gering man.

Online court records say Michael Fiscus pleaded not guilty last week to reckless vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say he caused the death of 36-year-old Seth Thompson, of Gering.

Thompson died in September at a Colorado care center where he had been hospitalized for nine months after being injured in the Dec. 20, 2013, accident. Scotts Bluff County authorities say Fiscus didn’t halt at a stop sign as he drove west on a county road, and his vehicle struck a northbound vehicle driven by Dustin Beaudette, of Scottsbluff. Thompson was a passenger in Beaudette’s vehicle.

Court records say the trial is set to begin the week of July 6.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A July trial has been scheduled for a Nebraska Panhandle man accused of sexually assaulting a child.

Court records say 29-year-old Jacob Summerville, of Minatare (MIHN’-uh-tehr), pleaded not guilty on Friday to sexual assault and intentional child abuse. His trial is set to begin July 6 in Scotts Bluff County District Court in Gering.

Investigators from the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office began looking into the case after the child was taken to a hospital last month.

What should you do with your unused, unwanted, or expired medications? Take them to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.

Great Plains Health has recently joined the list of pharmacies in North Platte accepting medications; Depot Drug, Rx Express Pharmacy, ShopKo Pharmacy, Walgreens Pharmacy, and Westfield Pharmacy are also able to collect these unwanted medications and make sure they are disposed of safely. To find other participating pharmacies go to www.nebraskameds.org.

Why is this so important?

A nationwide study released in 2002 by the United States Geological Survey detailed trace levels of prescription drugs found in 80 percent of the waterways across the country. The breakthrough study checked for the presence of materials such as pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, sterols, hormones, and other chemical compounds. Groundwater and seven streams in Nebraska were included in the study. Pharmaceutical chemicals can enter the environment contaminating surface and groundwater by several means.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, each year in the United States more than 71,000 children age 18 and younger are seen in emergency rooms for unintentional overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Additionally, among young people ages 12-17, prescription medications have become the second most abused substance, behind marijuana.

Let’s make a difference by taking these unused, unwanted, expired medications out of the environment. By returning these medications to participating pharmacies, you can help protect your children, grandchildren and the environment.

This project is being offered to the state of Nebraska by a statewide coalition of partners and with funding from Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Waste Reduction and Recycling Grants Program and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

The Nebraska Medication Education on Disposal Strategies (MEDS) coalition consists of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, The Nebraska Regional Poison Center, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, WasteCap Nebraska, and The Groundwater Foundation. The mission of the Nebraska MEDS Coalition is to educate Nebraskans about drug disposal and provide safe ways to dispose of them in order to better safeguard the environment and protect public health.

A North Platte man is facing charges after a violent outburst on Saturday afternoon.

Officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of a male causing damage to a home in the 1700 block of West 13th Street, at around 3:00 p.m., on April 11.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, the suspect, 24-year-old William Reed, had been previously ordered by police to stay off the property.  Brown said he had also been cited for breaking a window at the home.

Officers spoke with a 53-year-old female victim who alleged that Reed had called her and threatened to kill her, before showing up, kicking the door and threatening to break into the house.

Officers located Reed hiding near the residence and placed him under arrest.

Reed was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony terroristic threats and criminal mischief.

Brown said the victim in this case was also a witness against Reed in a prior criminal case.  As a result, he was also charged with tampering with a witness.

A North Platte man is in jail on felony charges stemming from a November drug investigation.

At around 8:40 a.m., on November 23rd, 2014, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of the odor of burning marijuana coming from a room at the Motel 6, 1520 South Jeffers Street.

The occupants of the room, Chelsea Burk and Robert Bergren, both 29, gave officers consent to search the room.

The search yielded marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a glass pipe containing suspected meth residue.

The residue from the glass pipe was sent to the Nebraska State Patrol, where a test eventually confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine.

On April 10, an officer observed Bergren walking in the 700 block of West 3rd Street, and attempted to make contact with him.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, Bergren refused to stop and fled the area on foot.

He was eventually found hiding in a residence in the 600 block of West 1st Street, and taken into custody.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on a charge of felony possession of methamphetamine.

Burk, who was already incarcerated at the LCDC, was also charged with felony possession of methamphetamine.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south southwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. South wind 8 to 11 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 14 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. South southeast wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 42. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.

NEW YORK (AP) — The high-octane thriller “Furious 7” maintained its pace in its second week, speeding away with $60.6 million at North American theaters, bringing its box-office total to a robust $252.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Universal’s “Furious 7” more than lapped the competition. The only new wide release of the weekend, the rodeo romance “The Longest Ride,” opened with $13.5 million.

That was good enough for third place. In second was the DreamWorks animated alien adventure “Home,” which pulled in $19 million in its third week of release.

But “Furious 7” continued to dominate the marketplace, dropping only 59 percent from its remarkable $147.2 million debut last weekend. Globally, it has already crossed $800 million in its first two weeks of release, according to Universal.